Pigments and Techniques of Hellenistic Apulian Tomb Painting

Abstract

The wall paintings of five Hellenistic tombs in Apulia were analysed using a multi-technique approach to discern the painting techniques used and contextualise them within the phenomenon of Hellenistic tomb painting in Southern Italy. In particular, the question was asked whether technical knowledge played a role in the reception of Hellenistic artistic models and whether this knowledge was present locally. Raman and IR spectroscopies were used to identify pigments, colourants, and binders; light and electron microscopy were used to determine the structural characteristics of the paint layers and recognise the manufacturing technique. Analyses identified a fresco application for the Tomba dei Cavalieri (Arpi) and a dry application for the Canosian hypogea. The palette—typical for Hellenistic tomb painting in Southern Italy, Etruria and Macedonia—was composed of lime (white), charcoal (black), hematite (red), goethite (yellow), and Egyptian blue (blue). In the Tomba della Nike (Arpi), meanwhile, two particularly refined preparatory layers were observed. The palette was enriched with precious cinnabar and madder lake. The colouring components of the root were mixed with clay and K-alum applied on an additional layer of lime. The use of madder lake and a pink background link the painting to the polychrome Daunian pottery, and the contribution of a local workshop to the decoration of this tomb thus seems plausible.

Petrographic and Chemical Characterization of the Frescoes by Saturnino Gatti (Central Italy, 15th Century)

“…Thanks to modern technologies, the characterization and reconstruction of altered or damaged painted surfaces can be achieved in various ways, ranging from techniques for the restitution of morphology and color [5,6] to mineralogical-petrographic and chemical characterization techniques [7][8][9], frequently with non-destructive [10,11] and noninvasive [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] methodologies.…”